Genetec, a provider for IP security solutions, announced that Hertfordshire Constabulary in the UK has selected Genetec's IP video surveillance for a county-wide video system expansion and upgrade. Upon completion of the expansion which is currently underway, the new system will manage a total of almost 100 cameras, helping officers police 632 square miles and protect more than a million residents.

"The user-friendliness of the system was key," said Grant Harknett, Network Analyst at Hertfordshire Constabulary. "It is very intuitive which allowed us to move away from a system that was unstable, with relative ease. The system has met all of our expectations."

Working with C-ways Limited, a UK-based IT integrator and Genetec certified partner, Hertfordshire Constabulary is using the solution to currently manage more than 50 existing analog cameras in their own estate as well as feeds from ten council districts and some major motorway routes throughout the county of Hertfordshire. It is thanks to Genetec open architecture that Hertfordshire Constabulary was able to preserve their existing hardware investments, using Axis encoders amongst others to convert analog feeds to IP.

An additional 40 network Axis cameras have been added to Hertfordshire Constabulary's Enquiry Offices to safeguard staff, visitors and the premises. The additional expansion will be fully integrated into the police headquarters' system where all cameras are being monitored. Hertfordshire Constabulary also has the ability to view a helicopter-mounted camera through the management to literally get a bird's eye view of happenings in the county.

"Integrating cameras from multiple locations across the county was not an easy task but Omnicast's features and architecture helped us make it happen seamlessly," said Nick Jackson, MD at C-Ways. "Also, the close working relationship between C-Ways and Hertfordshire Constabulary enabled a successful outcome to a challenging project."

Some additional features that were particularly important to Hertfordshire Constabulary included redundant and failover archiving which ensures access to live or archived data at all times. This is particularly important for after-the-fact investigations, when high-priority camera recordings must be reviewed. In similar respects, the solution's archive player allows police staff and officers to quickly retrieve and playback stored video in case suspicion is raised by an activity or incident caught on camera.

"Hertfordshire Constabulary is joining the ranks of Manchester City Council, opting for a similar upgrade to the management," said Cavan Kendall, UK SM at Genetec. "They have proactively sought out an advanced IP video surveillance technology to ensure public safety and security, and we are happy to have been able to help them fulfill all their security objectives."